


Falling Slowly

by LacrymosaDiesIlla



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 09:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20721626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LacrymosaDiesIlla/pseuds/LacrymosaDiesIlla
Summary: Nancy and Robin have grown close since the events of 1985. Some would even call them best friends. But after a bout of meningitis and a coma, Nancy is left with lasting physical impairments. Robin must help her friend navigate life in a new way, while also navigating her own feelings for her.





	Falling Slowly

**Author's Note:**

> If anything sounds familiar, then you probably read my collection of hurt/comfort oneshots, Don't Say You Can't Get Better. The beginning of this chapter is adapted from a chapter of that, but heavily expanded upon. Enjoy!
> 
> I've stopped working on this fic! If you were interested in it, you may also like my upcoming fic, 'Things Will Change, They Always Do', so look out for that!

Slick, waxed floors reflected sunlight as it poured in through the window. It was a nice day, bright and sunny without being too hot, the type of day that most people would kill to spend outside. But Robin had no plans of leaving her chair, no matter how much she hated the little room and the steadily beeping machines that crowded it. In fact, she hadn't left for anything but meals and hygiene purposes in three days, because that's how long Nancy had been laying there, motionless, with a feeding tube in her nose and an IV in her arm, alongside all the various other accessories. She looked tiny and frail among all the tubes and wires, and Robin certainly couldn't walk away while she was in need.  
  
Things had gotten bad fast. When Robin had arrived at her house that morning three days before, Nancy had been fine. They had laughed and talked together, eaten breakfast together, then put in a movie to watch. Then, Nancy had gotten quiet. When Robin had asked what was wrong, she had said that she didn't feel good, that her head hurt, but that she was okay. Then she had started falling asleep, and had been confused when Robin had roused her. She had been mumbling and nonsensical, and that had worried Robin. When she put a hand on her forehead to check for a fever, she had been positively burning up. So, she did the only thing she could think of and went to get her some asprin and water. She was only gone a minute, but when she came back, Nancy had slumped over the arm of the couch, and this time could not be woken. In a matter of hours, she had gone from perfectly fine to completely unconscious.  
  
At the hospital, they had diagnosed it as severe meningitis, which had put her in a coma. Her mother had sobbed over this news, and nearly wailed when they had continued on to say that all they could do was keep her alive and try to reduce the swelling in her brain until it went away on its own. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too many lasting effects.  
  
The words 'too many' bothered Robin. They were expecting _some_ lasting effects, they just wouldn't know the nature or severity until she woke up.  
  
"We have her on anticonvulsants to keep her from having seizures right now," the doctor had explained. "But with the severity of her case, it's likely that she will experience them in the future. Other neurological damages can also occur. Hearing loss, memory problems, coordination issues, learning disabilities..." The list had gone on. Basically, what Robin had taken away from the conversation was that there was a possibility that everything would be different. The Nancy that she knew, that she had become such dear friends with in the last years, might be changed or completely gone. There was also the possibility that everything would be okay, and she was holding out hope for that outcome, but she had been told not to expect it.  
  
She had asked what she could do in the meantime to help. That's all she wanted to do: help. The doctors had suggested just talking to her, claiming that she might still be able to hear her. Robin wasn't sure if they were being serious, or just giving her busy work to make her feel useful. Either way, she wasn't going to risk it. If there was a chance she could help by doing something as simple as talking, she was going to do it.  
  
So, she had taken to reading to her. Nancy did her fair share of reading on her own, and so did Robin, so it seemed like a good fit. They had worked their way through 'The Bean Trees' on the first day: ten hours of reading out loud. Robin had loved the book, and she thought that Nancy, if she really could hear her, would have loved it too. So, the next day, they had started on the sequel, 'Pigs In Heaven', but Robin's voice had grown tired and they hadn't finished it until the following morning. Since they were on a Barbara Kingsolver kick, they started The Poisonwood Bible right after that. Robin had found herself enjoying that one, too. However, when they reached the death of one of the main characters, Robin became overwhelmed with emotion and put the book down.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, stroking the back of Nancy's hand. A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't usually cry at books, but in her already emotionally heightened state, it had hit her hard. "I promise we'll finish it soon. I just..." She trailed off, wiping her eyes. "Let's just talk for awhile instead of reading, okay?" She paused for a second as if the comatose girl would respond, then nodded to herself.  
  
"So, I was thinking, Wheeler," she began, blinking to clear her eyes as she pushed the sad scene from her head. "When you get better, we should try, like, canoeing or something, maybe? It'd be relaxing, and the doctors said that you might lose some of your coordination, so I thought it might be a way to rebuild it, at least in your arms? I don't know, I haven't run the idea by anyone but you, so maybe it wouldn't work, but it might be fun." She paused for a second, flipping over Nancy's hand so that she could trace the lines on her palm. "And for your legs, we could rent one of those paddle boats? I guess all my ideas have to do with being on the water, which is weird because I'm not usually into that kinda stuff, but..." She paused.  
  
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wanna help you get better, even for the harder parts. I'm in it for the long haul, Wheeler. And if you need breaks while we're out on the paddle boat or whatever, then I'll pick up the slack. And that goes for whatever. I know that some stuff is gonna be tough for you, so I'm gonna try to make it easier. Okay?" She nodded to herself again, imagining her response in her head.  
  
She traced the curved line around her thumb all the way down to her wrist, momentarily fascinated with the blue veins under her skin. She remained fixated and silent for a second, then pulled her gaze away from her slender arm and turned it back to her face.  
  
"Can I tell you a secret, Wheeler?" she asked softly. She paused for a second, trying to decide if she really wanted to say it out loud. She supposed it didn't matter, Nancy wouldn't remember it either way.  
  
"The reason I wanna help you, the reason I care so much... Well, it's because we're friends, of course, but it's more than that. I like you a lot. I might... I might even love you." She let that sit for a minute, still feeling the words on her lips. "Actually, scratch that. I know I love you. So, so much. And I know you can't love me back, because you like boys or whatever, but that's okay. I'm happy just to be your friend, because at least that means I get to spend time with you."  
  
She paused for a long time, just staring at her face. Even with her blue eyes lidded and a tube in her nose, she was still so pretty. It seemed impossible, but it was true. Instinctively, she reached out and brushed her fingertips against her cheek, then quickly pulled back, shaking her head to herself.  
  
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said any of that," she said, looking down. "Here-" She picked up the book and opened it to the marked page. Before she started reading again, though, she glanced back at Nancy.  
  
"We're gonna get through this, Wheeler," she said softly. "I promise."  
  
It took a little time for Nancy to come out of it completely. The first time she opened her eyes was a couple of days later, and Robin was the only one in the room. She had been reading to her again when she heard a little groan, barely audible, and had looked up to see Nancy looking at her through half-lidded eyes. She hit the nurse call button immediately, but as she took her hand and started to question her, her eyes slipped shut and she was gone again. The news that she had woken for a moment caused her family to begin camping out in her room with Robin in hopes to be there if it happened again. This made Robin feel crowded and claustrophobic, but she did not leave, she couldn't possibly. So, when Nancy woke for the second time, a little over a day after the first time, she was surrounded by loved ones. She managed to stay awake longer that time, and even mumbled something that no one could quite make out before slipping back into unconsciousness.  
  
The third time she woke was about twelve hours after the second time. It was early in the morning, so early that regular visiting hours hadn't begun yet, and Robin was still asleep in the cot that had become her bed for the past days. Nancy made no noise this time, and Robin didn't even know she was awake until she got up and found her eyes to be open.  
  
"Nance?" she questioned, leaning over her. Nancy's eyes lazily moved to look up at her, and her lips twitched into a very slight smile, but she did not attempt to speak. Robin reached for the nurse call button with one hand while intertwining her fingers with Nancy's on the other. She didn't know how long she would stay awake this time, but she hoped some sort of physical contact would help her hold on to her newfound consciousness.  
  
The responding nurse called a doctor, who performed an examination and found that, while she was awake and seemed to be perceiving the world around her, she was only able to respond very minimally. She was able to move her eyes and make very limited gestures, such as a twitch of her hand or a little smile. She was not able to speak or eat on her own, but this new state was decidedly an improvement over her previous condition. Every day after that, she improved a little more, offering brighter smiles or a weak squeeze when her hand was held.  
  
Nancy's family were eager to communicate with her, and quickly devised a system to allow her to answer simple yes/no questions. Once she could squeeze hands, the routine became "one squeeze for yes, two for no". It wasn't perfect; sometimes the second squeeze would come late and her answer would be misinterpreted, so it was a game changer the day she started nodding and shaking her head.  
  
"Alright, Wheeler," Robin said. It was two days after she had started giving 'head responses', as Robin called them, and communication was improving greatly. "How do you wanna spend our time today? Do you wanna read?"  
  
A shake of her head: no.  
  
"Do you wanna watch TV?"  
  
Another no.  
  
"Hm. Not a lot else to do, then. Let me think..."  
  
She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling, wracking her brain for anything else they could do to pass the time. She didn't have any ideas. She was about to say so, when suddenly her ears picked up the slightest noise.  
  
"Robin..."  
  
Nancy's voice was barely a whisper, and it cracked during the single word, but it was enough to make Robin jump out of her seat to lean over her.  
  
"Nance? Did you just speak?"  
  
Nancy nodded.  
  
"Can you do it again?" Robin didn't know if that was asking too much, but God, she had missed the sound of her voice.  
  
"Yeah," Nancy replied, equally as weak the second time.  
  
The next days were full of more improvement. She got to the point where she could speak in short sentences, then longer ones, until she could hold a conversation. Once she could sit up and eat, the feeding tube came out, and it seemed that the day would soon come where she could leave the hospital and go home.  
  
That day finally came. Nancy was still unable to walk without heavy support, so she was transferred from her bed into a wheelchair and brought out to her family's car. Robin followed behind in her own car as her family brought her home, then helped get her inside.  
  
"Do you want to be on the couch, or do you want to go up to your room, sweetie?" Karen asked, leaning around from behind the wheelchair to look Nancy in the face.  
  
"Bed, please," Nancy replied. Her voice was tired, and Robin realized how much work even sitting up for so long must have been for her, after mostly lying in a bed for so much time. Nancy looked up, making eye contact with Robin. "Are you going home?"  
  
Robin hesitated. "Do you want me to?" she asked. She wanted to stay as long as she was allowed, but she would go if Nancy wanted to be alone.  
  
To her relief, Nancy shook her head. "No," she said. "I want you to stay. I just thought you might want to see your family, after staying with me for so long..."  
  
Robin shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her family, it was just that she saw them so rarely anyways that it didn't really make a difference. Hell, she hadn't even told them that she was staying overnight with Nancy at the hospital until the second day, and they hadn't even noticed. She didn't want to think about that at the moment, though. She just wanted to revel in the good things; Nancy was finally home.  
  
"Let's get you up the stairs," she said finally. "Can you walk them if your mom and I help you?"  
  
Nancy nodded, willing to at least try. Robin helped her up out of the chair, steadying her as her knees shook, and Karen approached her other side to help. Her gait was awkward and stumbling, as if she didn't really remember how to move her legs normally, and getting up the stairs took time, even with help. Ted followed them up with the wheelchair, then they sat her back down in it once they were in the upstairs hallway.  
  
"That was awesome," Robin praised, resting a hand on Nancy's shoulder as the girl slumped back in her chair. "You did great."  
  
"I barely used my legs," Nancy argued, panting slightly. "You guys basically carried me."  
  
"It's a whole lot better than a week ago. Hell, it's better than yesterday, even. You're gonna be walking on your own in no time."  
  
Nancy merely shrugged at that, and Karen began pushing the chair down the hall, into her room, and to her bed. Robin again helped her stand, holding her steady as she climbed into bed. Karen hovered for a second. "Can I get you anything?" she asked. Nancy shook her head, resting her head on her pillow.  
  
"No, I'm fine," she said. "Thanks, Mom."  
  
With that, Karen leaned forward to kiss her daughter's forehead, then exited the room, leaving Nancy and Robin alone. Robin stood awkwardly by the bedside for a moment before speaking. "Where do you want me, Wheeler?"  
  
Nancy patted the other side of the bed with a clumsy hand. Robin obeyed, skirting the edge of the bed and sitting down beside her. "Way more comfortable than the hospital bed," Nancy commented in a low murmur. "Bet it's better than that cot they had you on, too."  
  
Robin nodded, shuffling a bit so that she was laying on her side, facing Nancy, her head propped up on her arm. "Yeah," she agreed. "The atmosphere's more comfortable, too. Did I tell you I'm terrified of hospitals?"  
  
Nancy's face paled suddenly. "Then why'd you stay with me so long?" she asked, almost accusingly. "You should have gone home if you were uncomfortable."  
  
Robin chuckled lightly at her reaction. "I couldn't do that," she said. "If I hadn't stayed with you, your mom would have, and I know how she stresses you out when she fusses over you. You'd've never recovered."  
  
Pouting a bit, Nancy relented. "You're right," she sighed. "Still, thanks. It means a lot to me that you stayed either way, even more now that I know that it was a personal sacrifice."  
  
"I wouldn't call it a sacrifice," Robin said with a shrug. "But either way, don't mention it. You'd do it for me, too."  
  
Nancy nodded at that, because it was true. If the roles were reversed, she would have stayed with her friend, no question. But still, it meant a lot to her. They lay there for a few moments, just facing each other, lost in their separate thoughts, until Nancy let out a breath and let her eyes half-close. "I'm gonna go to sleep for a bit, I'm exhausted."  
  
"Alright," Robin affirmed. "I'll probably doze off too, then. Wake me if you need anything, okay?"  
  
Nancy nodded, and closed her eyes the rest of the way. Robin watched as she slowly relaxed, her breathing becoming slower and steadier until she was almost certainly asleep. Just looking at her, it was impossible to tell that anything was wrong, that her life had been changed so drastically in such a short amount of time. In that moment, there was nothing but peace. And as Robin drifted off beside her, she wished it could have lasted forever.


End file.
